Fenerbahce recovered from two deficits to beat Liverpool 3-2 at home in the Champions League, with Vedat Muriqi scoring the winner in the 79th minute on Wednesday. The victory was the first of the campaign for Fenerbahce and came in only the second match under interim head coach Dirk Kuyt.
Kuyt, who played more than 200 games for Liverpool between 2006 and 2012, was appointed interim coach last week while Fenerbahce look for a permanent manager following the resignation of Ismail Kartal. After the match, he praised his team’s effort, saying: “I’m very happy with all the players and all the people who were involved in making a miracle tonight.”
Liverpool’s defensive lapses cost them in Istanbul
Liverpool had arrived in Istanbul with three wins from three, but that run came to an end. Trey Nyoni gave the visitors the lead in the 25th minute, and Mason Greenwood equalised four minutes later from a free kick that deflected off Jeremy Jacquet and past Alisson.
Substitutes Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak restored Liverpool’s advantage in the 69th minute. Fenerbahce responded within four minutes, when a glancing header from Gakpo diverted the ball away from Alisson and left Archie Brown with an open goal at the far post. Brown then turned provider, heading a long throw back into the box for Muriqi to head the winner, despite a crowd of Liverpool defenders.
The result left Andoni Iraola’s side eighth in the standings with nine points. Fenerbahce moved up to 19th with five points.
Como’s 9-1 win over Lens equals Champions League record
Como made their mark on the competition’s record books with a 9-1 thrashing of Lens, matching the biggest winning margin in Champions League history. The Italian side equalled the eight-goal margins previously achieved by Liverpool, who beat Besiktas 8-0 at home, and Real Madrid, who beat Malmo 8-0.
The result also made Como the first team since 1971 to score nine goals away from home in the European Cup. They are only the second side, after Bayern Munich, to score nine in a Champions League match.
Como captain Lucas Da Cunha described the night as “an incredible night”. He added: “We started with a lot of desire, we wanted to take the three points, like we always do, and this evening we were able to do that.” Their third win in four matches lifted them to fourth on nine points, and they have scored 19 goals in a debut campaign that has impressed.
Real Madrid, Man City and Arsenal also collect results
Real Madrid secured a dramatic 3-2 win at AEK Athens, with Federico Valverde scoring the winner in stoppage time. Aboubakary Koita had put AEK ahead in the 12th minute, but Jude Bellingham equalised before the break. Stavros Pilios restored the home side’s lead in the 75th minute, and Kylian Mbappe levelled before Valverde struck again. Real remain unbeaten and sit second on 12 points from four matches, behind Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference. AEK are 29th with three points.
Man City also came back from behind to take a point in their own fixture, though the match ended with them in front. Castello Lukeba’s 37th-minute own goal put them ahead, Ridle Baku equalised after half-time, and Enzo Fernandez put City back in front in the 58th minute. Antonio Nusa levelled again before Erling Haaland finished at the far post to settle the match. City are seventh on nine points, six clear of Leipzig, who sit in the elimination places.
In Prague, first-half goals from Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres put Arsenal in control against Slavia. Wiktor Nowak pulled one back for the hosts in the final minute, punishing a failure to clear a cross, but Slavia remain 34th on one point.
